Is your website a place to close deals or a place to direct customers to another channel?
Confusing this role, all efforts in building the page are wasted at the final step.
A website is where customers can complete actions directly on the page without needing anyone else. It is where customers are led when finalizing must occur via Zalo, phone, or in-person meetings. For most services and B2B in Vietnam, the website often plays the role of building trust before transitioning customers to a conversation, rather than being the endpoint of the purchasing journey.
- standardized product, customers can purchase online
- service or B2B that requires consulting, the main button leads to Zalo
- want to design call-to-action buttons that fit the page role
- require customers to finalize online decisions that need consultation
- set too many call-to-action buttons next to each other
Before discussing colors, fonts, or page layout, there is a more fundamental question that many business owners overlook: what is your website ultimately built for? When visitors arrive, read through, what do you want them to do next? The answer to that question determines the entire design of the page, from the placement of buttons to the arrangement of content.
Two different roles, two different designs
The website serves as the point of sale where customers can complete their purchase directly on the page without additional assistance. This usually involves standardized products with clearly listed prices, allowing customers to understand what they will receive, along with a payment gateway and delivery process.
The website acts as a guide for customers when the purchasing decision is complex enough to require a conversation beforehand. Design services, consulting, B2B, high-value products, or anything that customers need to inquire about before spending money fall into this category. Here, the page is not the end of the purchasing journey but a place to build enough trust for customers to move to the next channel.
Customer lead point: Services, B2B, products that require consultation. Main buttons: "Message on Zalo", "Leave your information", or "Schedule a consultation". Success is measured by the number of customers transitioning to the next channel and continuing the conversation.
Factors that help you identify the role of the page
- Can customers decide on their own? If most customers need to ask more questions before purchasing, the website is not the place to close the deal, even if you have a "Buy Now" button there.
- What is your real conversion channel? Think back to your most recent orders. Did they come through the online shopping cart, via Zalo messages, over the phone, or after a face-to-face meeting? That channel is the true conversion point.
- Value and complexity of the purchasing decision: the larger the decision, the more customers need to talk to real people before closing.
- Can you track customers after they leave the page? If you direct customers to Zalo or phone but have no way of knowing who came from the page, you are operating in the dark.
Each page should lead to a clear action. If the website is a pathway for customers, that action is to transition to the closing channel, and the page should highlight it instead of scattering multiple options.
Unbounce, Conversion-Centered Design
Common mistakes when misunderstanding roles
- Forcing customers to make a decision that requires consultation: You place a "Buy Now" button, but customers do not understand enough to decide. They leave the page, do not return, and you do not know why.
- Directing customers to another channel without tracking: Customers click on Zalo, but there is no way to know which page, post, or button they came from. You cannot improve what you cannot measure.
- Spread too many call-to-action buttons on the same page: "Buy now," "Message on Zalo," "Call," "See more," "Sign up for updates," all at the same level. Customers do not know which to prioritize, resulting in doing nothing.
The viewpoint of Sinh Vũ
For most of Sinh Vũ's clients, including services, high-value products, and B2B, the website is not the end of the buying journey. It is a place to build enough trust for clients to engage in a conversation. This means that the button leading to Zalo is often more important than the shopping cart, and the entire page structure should be designed to funnel trust towards that button.
Sinh Vũ approaches each website project by first determining: what is the true closing channel for this business, and what is the primary action on each page. Only after having clear answers do we begin discussing layout and content. This is not an additional step to complete the process. This is the decisive step for whether the page runs or not.
Decision checklist
Topic: Is a website a place to close sales or to lead customers to another channel? Sinh Vũ guide, sinhvu.com
Tick each item that applies or that you can already answer, then print or save as PDF to take with you.
If you have marked most of the signs above, this is the time to discuss in more detail. Sinh Vũ can help you review and propose a direction.
References
Unbounce, Conversion-Centered Design. Sinh Vũ P1 (p1-website.md, content and conversion rate).
Frequently asked questions
I sell services, do I need a shopping cart and payment gateway on my website?
For services that require consultation before making a decision, the online shopping cart is often not the real conversion point. The real conversion point lies in the conversation between you and the customer, via Zalo or phone. Instead of investing in a payment gateway early on, optimize the button that leads to the consultation channel first.
How can you tell if a customer has switched to Zalo after leaving the page?
This is a common blind spot when directing customers to channels outside the website. The simplest way is to add UTM (source tracking parameters) to the Zalo link, or ask customers where they came from when they message for the first time. If you can't track it, you won't know which part of the page is actually driving conversions.
I want to close online while also leading customers to consultation, is that possible?
Yes, but you need to clearly separate by product or service group. Mixing two streams on the same page will distract customers and prevent them from proceeding. Sinh Vũ often suggests identifying a primary action for each page, then placing secondary actions in less prominent positions.
This article is for reference. The scope, pricing, and specific commitments of Sinh Vũ are detailed in the proposal and signed contract.